Session 30: The Forbidden Cavern Report

General Summary

Session 30 – Wednesday February 15, 2023 – The Eclivian Enclave and the Forbidden Cavern

  4.5 Hour Role Play/battle session 5:30 PM to 10:30PM

The Stone Bearers. Party of 6:

It is the 19th day of the month of Uktar (The Rotting) in the 50th year of the Age of Enialis (Mid November.)

• Abrash – Wood (Desert) Elf, L5 Druid – Jacob Munson
• Ajani– High Elf, L5 Wizard – Nathan Gioconda
• Gazlowe – Goblin, L5 Artificer – Josh Pozsonyi
• Thomas – Human, L5 Blood hunter – Ryan Armstrong (Remote)
• Isabella – Forest Gnome, L5 Barbarian – Jackie Armstrong
• Digby – Gnome, L5 Cleric – Dan King

Looking over the Plateau

Thomas sneezed and Ajani appeared. Gazlowe was concerned about him being a doppelganger, but Ajani convinced him. The party snuck up to the edge of the plateau and looked over the scene below them. The walls of a laboratory lay shattered, their stones scattered about the ground. Books lay destroyed, and the furniture was naught but tatters and rubble. Little remained intact, only an alembic apparatus to the south and an arcane circle surrounding a flowering plant. A large group of humans, dressed in the same dark attire as others in the cavern, picked through the rubble. One of them wore attire that is more resplendent than the rest. The rest turned their heads to him from time to time, apparently looking for his approval. In the corner of the building, four Drow sat on the floor in shackles.

They discussed trying to free the Drow or forming a strategic attack. Gazlowe voted to just charge in. The party, in their discussion, were not very quiet. One of the cultists spotted them in the bushes and backed up. The apparent leader, a dwarf, raised his arms and said to the party, “I am Bethec, come down and pledge yourself to my master.” The party came down and approached, Bethec again told them party to kneel and told them how their talents are wasted without a worthy master to serve. He offered them a demonstration of his power and led them towards the water in the north. He caused the water to rise and a whirlpool to form in the center. Ajani, not impressed, cast control water and made a little jet appear. Abrash nodded to the party to push him in.

Attack!

Isabella approached to attack, but Bethec was faster and cast Spirit Guardians. The fiendish guardians slashed into Isabella, and she struck him with her axe. Thomas was hit by the fiendish guardians. He struck the glowing stone, and the light went out. He then struck Bethec and Bethec lost concentration on his guardians. The 2nd priest cast Spirit Guardians. Ajani shot a lightning bolt right at Bethec and knowing the future, he knew Bethec would not be able to dodge it. One of the cultists ran up to Digby and cast inflict wounds on him. Gazlowe pushed Digby away from the fiendish spirits as they hit Digby and Gazlowe. Digby cast Beacon of Hope on the party helping them avoid the Spirit Guardians.

The cultists tried to cast spells on the party but failed. Abrash used his chalice feature to heal Digby. Gazlowe was hit by the Spirit guardians and cast magic missile at the priest breaking his concentration. Bethec used his maddening presence, Abrash used his reaction to give Gazlowe resistance, and only Isabella became confused. Thomas hit Bethec with a glowing chain knocking him unconscious. The other cult priest cast healing word on Bethec. He also tried to use his maddening presence, but everyone resisted it. Ajani saw that Bethec’s eyes were open, and he cast a chromatic orb at him but missed. Digby cast sanctuary on himself. The cultists continued to miss with their attacks.

Abrash used his dragon form to attack the cultists and gave a healing potion to Digby. One of the cultists inflicted wounds on Abrash. Gazlowe punched 2 of the cultists and killed one of them. Isabella broke free from her confusion and killed one of the cultists and bloodied another. The Priest again used healing word on Bethec. Ajani’s errant chromatic orb came back and badly bloodied one of the cultists. Digby stood up and provided healing to everyone except Isabella. Abrash shot a cultist with his dragon feature and used a guiding bolt against him. Gazlowe took out 2 of the cultists with magic missiles. Bethec healed himself with cure wounds, stood up and started to walk towards the Drow. Isabella critically struck Bethec with her great axe and knocked him unconscious again with her 2nd strike. Thomas walked up to him and struck him twice to be sure he was dead; with his second hit, he withdrew Bethec’s heart. Ajani hit the last cultist with a ray of frost and Gazlowe took him out with a punch.

Seaching the ruins

Digby brought back Bethec, Ajani probed the thoughts of Bethec and found the name of his master is Acheros and all he wants with the drow is to provide more servants for Acheros. Gazlowe found a Necklace of Wound Closure on Bethec and a total of 25pp and 200gp on the cultists. Ajani got a spell book with a host of spells in it including: 1st level: detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, shield, 2nd level: misty step, suggestion, 3rd level: counterspell, fireball, fly, 4th level: greater invisibility, ice storm and 5th level: cone of cold. They also found a book “The Healing of All” probably worth 20gp. The book detailed the practices of the Eclivian Drow to provide aid to all those who need it. It went on to describe grand hospitals that have been erected by the drow, filled with healing potions, on the sites of battlefields and amid epidemics.

Thomas examined the plant and the arcane circle. He discovered that the plant was a young red-leaf thortel which can be turned into potions of healing for about 2 weeks of its life span. The arcane circle was designed to pause the plant’s growth. They harvested enough red leaf oak for Thomas to create 3 potions of healing with alchemists supplies. They also found that the Alembic had enough liquid in it to create 6 potions of healing. Abrash filled the vials he had.

The Drow help the party level up.

Ajani spoke with the Drow and Gazlowe picked the locks freeing them Gazlowe confirmed the Drow knew the Tenets of Eclivian. Laele came running into the area and saw that the enemies had been defeated. She asked if there were any others and the party explained all they had done. More drow came in and the party was told to go outside the cavern to talk to Leszyr. Digby noticed a dark pit in the water and started throwing a rock into it. The Drow looked aghast at him and told him to stop, as that is a forbidden cavern. They explained no more and told them to go outside.

Leszyr thanked the party, she provided the promised treasure of 50pp and 1,500gp and the 5 sapphires worth 100gp each. She was disappointed that so few Drow had been saved. She offered the party protection for the evening and suggested they take a rest. She also provided the party training in whatever they could. The party accepted the offer and by the morning they were all level 6.

The Forbidden cavern

  In the morning Leszyr told the party that they have determined what had happened to the other 16 missing Drow. She explained that they were taken into the Forbidden cavern. She explained that there are two paths to get there, one through the water and another path through a cavern passage that had been blocked. She explained that the cavern is forbidden because all who go there return mentally scarred if they return at all. The party however was undeterred. She provided everyone with 2 potions of water breathing. She told the party that the safety of the Drow who are already safe is of utmost importance and if the Drow they find pose a threat, they should be killed rather than returned. She will shed no tears for the death of all those who took them. Thomas gave everyone one of the healing potions he had obtained. Gazlowe gave Abrash a Robe of Mind Sharpening and Abrash wore his Ring of Warmth.

Swimming to the Deep

Abrash ritually cast water breathing on the party and they went into the watery passage. As they went the felt the water become thicker and slimy. A foul smell assailed their noses. They arrived in a small cavern where they sensed a tentacle passing by them. They saw 5 cultists venerating the tentacles that swept by. A slimy creature, that seemed to be undead with long tentacles passed by the party a few times, but the party showed no sign of worshiping it. Thomas moved to attack, and the creature struck first hitting Digby, Isabella and Abrash. Thomas took out one of the cultists with his whip.

Abrash cast faerie Fire on the cultists. Ajani cast dragon’s breath at the cultists and all but 1 were killed. Digby took out the last one with a spell. Gazlowe struck the creature with his fist and the creature spewed mucus, but Gazlowe dodged it. The undead Aboleth struck Gazlowe with its tail. Thomas hit the creature with two crossbow hits. Abrash hit it with a guiding bolt, blooding it. Ajani hit it with a chromatic orb. Digby hit it with a guiding bolt and Isabella took it out with her great axe.

As the creature sunk to the bottom, the party climbed out of the water, coated with a slimy mucus that quieted their movements.